Monday, January 7, 2013

Damien is an
assassin, a man with no home and a tortured past. Sold into slavery as a young
boy, he is trained to kill with cold calculation, without remorse. As a reward
for his ruthless success, he is given a chance to earn his freedom from his
cruel master. One last mission. One final person to slay…

Lady Aurora of Acquitaine is the epitome of purity and goodness, beloved by all
her people. She lives her life trying to atone for her mother’s cruelty by
being a fair and just ruler. Secretly she fears that one day her mother’s
murderer will return for her.

When Damien enters Aurora’s life, tempting her with promises of dark passion
and forbidden lust, he threatens to tear her peaceful world apart.

Can Aurora’s light heal Damien’s dark spirit or will his evil consume her? The
eternal battle of good versus evil, love versus hate, dark versus light, all
come to a shattering climax in this historical romance set in medieval England.

Great beginning (Angel’s Assassin was
nominated for over seven awards based on the beginning)

Page turning read (My Cozie Corner
Book Reviews said “I found this book to be a page
turner and recommend it to all romance fans.”

Thrilling adventure

Romance

Surprising twists

To close it and sigh with happiness

The power of love to redeem a tortured
soul

Enjoy an excerpt from Angel's Assassin

She was more than stunning. She was an angel.

She looked down at a beggar who held an old, feeble
hand out to her, his gnarled fingers stained with mud. Outrage filled Damien that this dirty,
decrepit man should accost her in such a manner. But the lady did not shy away from his
filth. She did not turn her back on
him. She smiled at him. Damien found himself wishing he were the
beggar, wishing he were the recipient of such radiance. Then she bent forward, touched the beggar’s
shoulder, and spoke earnestly to the old man.

Damien inched forward, ignoring the crush of people
around him as he moved closer to this goddess.
He could not hear her words, but the people around her smiled.

The beggar nodded his head enthusiastically at the
regal lady and smiled a toothless grin.

Lady Aurora turned and moved leisurely into the
square. Her blue velvet surcoat swished
about her long legs. The lone guard
walked before her, keeping the path clear.

One guard to protect her, Damien thought,
disgusted. If he were her father, he
would hire an army of men to trail her and keep her safe.

People called out to her now. She paused and spoke to many, giving them her
undivided attention. What would she say
to him if he called out to her? Did he
care? No, he wouldn’t care what words
she uttered. All he wanted was to see
those luminescent eyes turn to gaze at him with the same undivided attention
she so graciously offered everyone else.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a movement. A shadow.
A slithering shape. He searched
the crowd, the feeling of unease growing much stronger now, spreading across
the nape of his neck and shoulders. His
gaze darted through the throng, focusing on one villager and then another. A mother smiling down at her child. A farmer speaking with a short baker. A monk gazing at Lady Aurora.

And then, mixed in the crowd, Damien found him. He was a small man, dressed in a faded green
tunic. He hunched slightly, moving
slowly between people, being careful not to touch anyone, being careful not to
draw attention to himself. But unlike
the people who surrounded him, there was no serenity in his face, no
adoration. Only dark purpose. The man focused on Lady Aurora with the
intensity of a predator.

Damien recognized him immediately. He was one of Roke’s elite guards, a killer,
and an assassin. A slave of Warin Roke
just like him. Damien didn’t know his
name, but he knew the face. And he knew
the ugly gleam of determination in his eyes as he trapped his prey in his
sights. What the devil is he doing here?
Damien silently demanded as fierce anger blasted through him. What game is Roke playing?

Damien moved through the crowd, inching closer to
him, not taking his stare away from the stalker. He bumped into a farmer half his size. The man grumbled something, but Damien moved
on, ignoring him, concentrating on his target.

“M’lady!”

Damien heard the gruff call, but did not look up to
see who it was. He didn’t dare take his
gaze off the man, lest he lose him in the thick crowd of villagers. Damien watched the man’s reaction. He saw him hesitate, watched his small eyes
shift from Aurora to somewhere off to the left where the other voice had
originated.

For a moment, Damien thought the puny man would turn
and leave. Is he here to make sure I
complete my mission? His eyes slowly
narrowed. No, that was not the reason he
was here. He knew Warin Roke well, well
enough to realize he would never send anyone to watch over him.

Something glinted in the little man’s hand.

Damien’s eyes widened in realization. The man isn’t here to follow me. He is here to steal my freedom! Damn you to hell, Roke.

The killer bent his legs and sprang forward, moving
with a quickness his small stature belied.
He moved straight for Lady Aurora, his dagger flashing in the fiery
sunlight.

Giveaway

The author is giving away one copy of "Angel's Assassin" and one copy of her medieval romance, "The Angel and The Prince".

Meet the Author

Laurel
O’Donnell has won numerous awards for her works, including the Holt Medallion
for A Knight of Honor, the Happily Ever After contest for Angel’s Assassin, and
the Indiana’s Golden Opportunity contest for Immortal Death. The Angel and the
Prince was nominated by the Romance Writers of America for their prestigious
Golden Heart award. O’Donnell lives in Illinois with her four cherished
children, her beloved husband and her five cats. She finds precious time every
day to escape into the medieval world and bring her characters to life in her
writing.